I'm going to try my hand at doing a small marble relief and have $100 to spend on tools. I have a 1lb hammer and a point (I think, I bought it a long time ago. It might bet a 1/4" chisel), and a toothed chisel that I believe is 1". I'm looking at the Compleat Sculptor website and drooling and trying to figure out how to get the most bang for my limited bucks. Any suggestions would be lovely. At this point I have a mini gouge, a mini rondel, a mini, 3-toothed chisel, a mini point, and 1/2" and 1/4" chisels (guess I'd better figure out what I have first). I'm thinking about swapping around some things and getting rifflers, too, but those are even more pricey, so I'm still sorting it out.

Hi Alison, it sounds to me as though you have enough to give you a good start on your relief. I've been wood carving for many years and also had a go on marble a couple of times which is soft enough to work but tools do get blunt. Have you any means of sharpening the ones that you have? Some money spent on that might be an idea. Also depending on what finish you want to achieve, some abrasive cloths might be helpful.

I bought a bunch of carbide tip marble carving tools from Trow & Holden in Vermont. They are fantastic! They make carving fun and hold their edges well. For your purposes and given what you already have,the most useful two are likely to be the carver's drill and the carver's chisel, both used for fine small detail, drapery folds, edges, etc. Next best would be the machine chisel with roundel.